蘑菇AV

AI-generated journalism arrives: Il Foglio鈥檚 all-AI newspaper edition showcases automation鈥檚 potential while raising ethical concerns about accuracy, credibility, and human oversight.

The New York Times will license its journalism to Amazon: The deal supports AI training while signaling a shift toward paid data partnerships.

Retailers stop viewing the store as "a single moment and start to take a step back to ask 'What's the lifetime value of investment, and what role does the store play in driving that maximum lifetime value?'" said Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai, at last week's 蘑菇AV's summit on Commerce Media Trends 2025.

Madwell sued by NYT for thousands in unpaid debts: The lawsuit serves as a warning and highlights the need for brands to vet the agencies they work with.

Home Depot made a bid for GMS, a building products and tool supplier for both consumers and contractors, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: Home Depot sees a significant opportunity to consolidate the fragmented construction supply and tool market鈥攁nd it's moving at a moment when the US housing shortfall could drive sustained demand for new construction and renovation.

The news: Walmart-owned Sam鈥檚 Club is raising prices on select products in response to cost pressures from the Trump administration鈥檚 tariffs, The Wall Street Journal reports. Our take: Sam鈥檚 Club is on a roll. The retailer is generating record-high membership levels and plans to accelerate growth by opening about 15 new stores each year while remodeling existing locations. But how Sam鈥檚 Club handles tariff-driven price increases could determine whether its momentum continues鈥攐r stalls. The retailer faces a delicate balancing act in deciding when to absorb rising costs and when to pass them on. The stakes are high. A misstep could either erode profit margins or drive a decline in membership renewals鈥攂oth of which are essential to its business model.

The news: AI-fueled r茅sum茅s have pushed LinkedIn job applications up 45% YoY, overwhelming recruiters and upending hiring norms. Recruiters now face an avalanche of lookalike r茅sum茅s and fake identities鈥攕ome even auto-submitted by AI bots. Many are turning to AI-powered hiring platforms to fight fire with fire, per The New York Times. Our take:By relying on AI tools to chase efficiency, both sides could drive up skepticism and erode the core goal: finding the right person for the right role. Businesses with open roles should prioritize clarity, human relevance, and judicious restraint in their own use of AI.

The news: Tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon are building tools that let brands bypass ad agencies entirely鈥攁utomating the creation, placement, and optimization of ads, per The Wall Street Journal. Yes, but: Strategy, storytelling, and brand stewardship can鈥檛 come from algorithms. Even with automation, brands need creative direction, long-term planning, and cross-channel cohesion鈥攔oles agencies are uniquely positioned to play. Our take: To stay relevant, agencies must move up the funnel. AI can optimize and target, but it can鈥檛 craft brand strategy or narrative. The edge belongs to firms that lead with insight, creativity, and cohesion.

The news: Tesla stock rebounded about 5% Friday after a 14.3% crash during a public social media feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over the 鈥淏ig Beautiful Bill.鈥� The EV giant lost $152.4 billion in market value Thursday鈥攊ts biggest one-day decline ever, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: The Musk-Trump quarrel could drag on or it could end as abruptly as it started. Its effects on Tesla鈥檚 stock are a reminder that Musk is the company鈥檚 de facto spokesperson and that his persona is inseparable from Tesla鈥檚 brand. The Big Beautiful Bill, paired with cautious US consumer spending and economic uncertainty, could slow Tesla鈥檚 EV adoption just when the company can least afford it.

The news: Meta is planning another VR headset, codenamed Loma, to compete with Apple鈥檚 beleaguered Vision Pro, per The Wall Street Journal. The product will look similar to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses鈥攔ather than a traditional headset goggles design鈥攁nd feature higher-fidelity video than the Quest line of headsets. Meta is offering millions of dollars to Disney, A24, and others for exclusive IP-based gaming content to avoid the Vision Pro鈥檚 pitfall of lacking compelling content. Our take: Meta鈥檚 renewed headset push shows the company is learning from past missteps, but success will hinge on whether Loma can offer must-have experiences at a justifiable price.

The situation: White-collar employment at US public companies has dropped 3.5% over the past three years, per Live Data Technologies data cited by The Wall Street Journal. The trend comes as companies face mounting pressure to cut overhead amid economic uncertainty鈥攑rompting executives to increasingly turn to automation to boost efficiency. Our take: White-collar job cuts, combined with rising tariffs and broader macroeconomic uncertainty, are creating an increasingly challenging environment for retailers heading into the second half of 2025鈥攁nd likely beyond.

The news: The pending Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group merger is facing a new hurdle, per a New York Times report. The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly considering adding restrictions on Omnicom and IPG that would stop the merger unless the new company agrees to a ban on ad boycotts that would prevent it from refusing to host clients鈥� advertisements on platforms because of political reasons. Our take: If the FTC proceeds, the decision will have a ripple effect on the advertising industry as a whole, emphasizing that advertisers are increasingly faced with choosing between brand safety and legal pushback.